Weather Extremes
For the week of March 2-8, 128 weather records were broken or tied. Most of the extremes – 91 of them – were precipitation and snowfall. There were only 14 high temperature records and 16 record lows.
On March 2, parts of the central U.S. observed record highs near the 80-degree mark. McCook, Neb., hit 80 degrees on that date while Goodland, Kan., reported 79 degrees. Fort Myers, Fla., soared to a record-tying 87 degrees on the 3rd, while Melbourne, Fla., flirted with the 90-degree mark Friday with an 89-degree reading.
Frigid weather plagued the Dakotas on Friday. At Grand Forks, N.D., the mercury plunged to minus-21 degrees. It was minus-19 degrees at Watertown, S.D. Pipestone, Minn., reported a very cold minus-21 degrees on the 7th, breaking the record by 10 degrees. The chilly weather was felt in the Deep South as Austin, Texas, had a record-breaking low of 26 degrees Saturday. The Seattle Weather Service Office dipped to a record-tying 32 degrees Wednesday.
Most of the extreme precipitation totals were found across the South, the Mid-Atlantic states and the Northeast. On March 3, an impressive 4.09 inches of rain was reported at Fort Smith, Ark. West Plains, Miss., had 2.43 inches of moisture on the 3rd as well. Record rainfall was also observed in Florida as 3.34 inches was gauged at Fort Lauderdale on Thursday. Gainesville picked up a record 3.13 inches on Friday.
Late last week, record snowfalls were reported from Ohio southward into Mississippi. Lexington, Ky., picked up a record 4.3 inches of snow Friday and 4.0 inches Saturday. At Tuscaloosa and Anniston, Ala., traces of snow were reported Saturday, the first time any kind of measurable snow was observed in these areas at this time in recorded history. Memphis, Tenn., saw 1.4 inches Saturday while Louisville, Ky., had a record 6.1 inches of snow.
Heavy snows were noted in upstate New York and Ohio late last week. On Saturday, a record 10.3 inches was measured at Dayton, Ohio. Columbus, Ohio, measured a whopping 15.5 inches. Storm totals in those regions were near two feet. On Thursday, St. Louis reported 10 inches of snow. In Neihart, Mont., 8.7 inches of snow was measured.